Sunday, May 9, 2010
Personnel Case
As principal, you have directed by the Superintendent to submit recommendations for personnel reductions due to required budget cuts made by the school board. The decision is irreversible and you and each principal must comply. You must cut three positions. How will determine which positions you will recommend to cut?
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At the present time, my school system is going through this same thing. It is very hard to know that anyone would have to be let go, our school systems are low in number of teachers as it is. The first area that I would look, would be that of the least number of years acquired by Custodians, cafeteria workers, aids and teachers. If I could eliminate it would go by the number of students in the building that I serve by the number of students of the mentioned positions. Also by the size of the building by the number of custodians and cafeteria workers.
ReplyDeleteI would look to see if some could fill more than one roll in the building and have them to do that to begin the eliminating process.
This year the school where I work, had to eliminate a cafeteria worker.
The principal had to place an aid that only had a child until 11:30, she then went and worked in the cafeteria, and then to a 2nd grade class. She filled several roles, but helped to save money for the cafeteria.
Besides Carolyn's suggestions, another avenue to consider would be to not replace anyone who was already planning to retire or leaving for another district. Sometimes it hurts a little less to just not replace an outgoing member of the faculty and staff and have those responsibilities/classes absorbed by other faculty/staff if possible.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would need to look at the Reduction In Force (RIF) policy for your school system - does it require that you let staff go based on seniority, contract status or some other characteristic? Then I would look at the state Standards of Quality (SOQs) to see what teachers/student ratios are required for all positions. Based on the RIF policy and SOQs three positions could probably be identified as positions to be cut. Additionally it would be of great benefit to talk to department heads/grade level leaders/team leaders to see if they have suggestions - their insight would probably be eye-opening and inciteful. Also if people are planning to retire, I would consider not filling the position, but again I'd have to look at SOQs to make sure that works.
ReplyDeleteThe ideas submitted above are good ideas but one I would like to toss out here is to increase class sizes in elective programs to eliminate sections equivelant to full time employee status. We actually just went through this process at Glenvar this year and I was able to help the Assistant Principal in this task. I know it is difficult to increase class sizes as a teacher... but this route helped save 8 jobs at our school this year.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above postings that the best solution would be simply not to replace anyone who is leaving, next I would look to cut non-academic workers first, moving to elective programs after that and as a very last result cutting academic workers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement of looking at the RIF document. It is always good to review the protocol of your division to guide your decision and act as your reference if your actions are questioned. I would also take a look at the teachers; who's tenured (possibility to offer early retirement?), class sizes, classes taught, etc., to see if any adjustsments could be made. I would also talk to assistant principals, department heads, to get their advice.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would look at number of years of seniority. I would rather cut a first year teacher over a tenured teacher -- even though I have heard of school divisions cutting more experienced people to save a buck. Next, I would look at enrollment numbers and see how many sections/teachers are needed to teach the classes. Most school divisions now have RIF policies due to our budget woes. As administrator, I would have to make sure I was following the school division's policy. At my school right now, they are not advertising for any retiree's position to try and save jobs. I would probably consider cutting part time staff over full time staff since most schools are also increasing class sizes to save jobs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the responses above. First I would use attrition from retirements and resignations. Then I would look at class sizes and SOQ positions to ensure I'm meeting those requirements. I would follow the district's RIF policy and try to eliminate the positions that had the least effect on classroom instruction.
ReplyDeleteAs difficult as it would be to be in this position, I would not hesitate to recommend the teachers who have CONSISTENTLY not performed well, based on student growth and evaluations. My number one goal is to ensure the success of every student. ISLLC Standard 3, E. states that we must "ensure teacher and organizational time is focused to support quality instruction and student learning." Student learning is measurable, and teaching is observable. I will have the paperwork to reflect my decisions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the statements above. It is important to ensure that students receive the best education possible. ISLLC Standard 3 states that we must "provide an effective instructional program". Therefore, I would also first attempt to make cuts in areas that affect noninstructional personel and personel already working under a plan of improvement. All district policies should be reviewed prior to change. My first priority would be to protect instructional staff and programs.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the cruel sides of administration. Nobody wants to recommend somebody to be let go as it is I do have some ideas that run will of few of the above mentioned suggestions. First I would look at teachers that were retiring or teachers that were being transferred. Next I would look at such department as aides, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other support staff that are able to be cut back. I would then look at non-tenured teachers that were ineffective or not up to par in our school community. Hopefully there wouldn't be any ineffective teachers nevertheless I would then move to other first year teachers who, although effective, are just simply easier to let go of over tenured teachers that have shown little student growth or that have been ineffective.
ReplyDeleteSeniority, job performance, teaching within their speciality field, and past evaluations would all play a role in making my selections.
ReplyDeleteI would look at the Standards of Quality, the student population, and the employees who are leaving and/or retiring in order to determine which three employees/positions to cut. The cuts may increase both the number of class preparations teachers have and the number of students in their classes. These will need to be addressed when scheduling classes.
ReplyDeleteI would begin by reviewing the school policy for a Reduction In Force. Next, I would talk with the staff to see who was planning on retiring or leaving for a different job at the end of the year. I would determine how serious those plans were. Then I would look at seniority of the teachers remaining. I would also look at the endorsements of some of the newly hired folks to see what other subjects they could teach. I would hope that I would have enough folks leaving on their own to cover the three slots.
ReplyDeleteIn the event no one is leaving and the RIF policy does not give good guidance, I would recommend the three people with the least seniority. Then I would review the endorsements of all other teachers and move folks around to cover the classes/slots of the folks that left.
Our county is currently going through this process. We had to use the RIF process in the policy manual and then based on the SOQ's reduced teaching positions and staff. Our RIF policy is based totally on seniority in your current position. Since we lost many good teachers and staff, we are now looking at adjusting the RIF policy. It is important to have a RIF policy that keeps the teachers who provide the effective learning environment but how do you always show that? If you are not an SOL teacher, how will one get an objective evaluation? Our new RIF policy will be interesting to observe. We have increased class sizes. We have also gone back to sharing fine arts staff between schools where our numbers of students allowed it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this is a very realistic type of scenario for educators today. I have heard of various practices for the RIF protocol in various school divisions. While several seem to use seniority as the guiding factor of who gets to stay, I have heard of one locality letting those employees on improvement plans go when there is a need to eliminate positions. Although it’s seemingly rigid and undoubtedly one of an administrator’s most difficult responsibilities, I feel this situation presents an opportunity to “clean house.” We owe it to our students to recruit and maintain the best possible teachers. Does one’s years of service always equate with best teaching practices?
ReplyDeleteI would collaborate with other administrators in my division before making any decisions or recommendations. I would also consider teaching assignments, years of experience, former observations, and test data in my decisions.
I agree with all of the following postings. I would look at the policies already established for RIF. Next, I would look at the staff that will be retiring. Class size would be the next consideration. My school system is increasing class sizes due to budget cuts. Most of the cuts in our school system have been the instructional assistants.
ReplyDeleteLosing positions in schools is a realistic situation that many administrators are facing. Similarly to many of the posts above, I feel that it would be essential to review the policies relating to reduction in force. Should the policy state that RIF is related to years of experience, I would follow those guidelines. Should reduction in force not be related to experience, I would make suggestions to cut teachers that I have documented performance issues with. Hopefully, I would be able to eliminate positions that would impact students the least, and move teachers around to fill areas of need.
ReplyDeleteAs principal, I must begin by examining and following the Reduction in Force (RIF) policy developed by the school district. I must remain ethical to the policy that has been set. If the policy allowed, I would need to cut the positions that were the least necessary to the core teaching subjects. I would strongly consider what positions could function effectively with a reduction. If a teaching position needed to be cut, and I was in line with the RIF policy, I would release the person who was having the most difficulty promoting effecting teaching and learning practices in the classroom. These decisions are never easy.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would start at looking at everyone in the building with the least amount of experience (1 to 3 years). I would see what areas would not be devastated by a loss of three positions. The school that I currently work in just lost three positions and it is hard to think about these individuals not being at our school next year. I want to do what is best for our students and our school. Next, I would look at those teachers that are on improvement plans or are currently not meeting the needs of our school community to see if positions need to be cut. Budget cuts are a reality these days, but it is still very difficult to let someone go.
ReplyDeleteSide comment - in my county, these decisions are usually not in the hands of the principals!
ReplyDeleteI too would look at the RIF policy and SOQ ratios, teachers who can retire, non-instructional positions, teachers who are new with less than 3 years of service, and teachers who have teaching improvement plans. Laying out all this data, then I can look at all the choices and see where there is overlap. Generally, in this day and age, there will be at least one or two retirement possiblilty. Then I can look at student-to-teacher ratio and look at new or poorly performing teachers based on S-to-T ratio and that might be another position. I will also look at sharing non-core personnel like guidance, specialists, etc. with other schools to reduce positions. Then there are the support personnel as well. But in my county, there is only a skeleton staff for support now as it is!
This is happening everywhere and does nothing for supporting emotions of security from working teachers!
I agree with all of the above comments. What can I add? This is the stressfull part of administration. I'd look at my RIF policies my SOQ ratio's as well but I would not want to eliminate instructional before eliminating other "extra" positions, first, as well, like cafeteria,aids,custodial, etc. I would also try to absorb as much as possible....filling leaving positions from within. I also agree that I would look at new employees and those that don't consistently show "standards of quality". I'm not saying anything new here, that hasn't already been said. We are all seeing this happen right now across the region. These are difficult times.
ReplyDeleteI would look at the positions in the school which are least affective to the students needs. An area I would look at first would be the custodians and cafeteria staff. If we could make reductions there I would, but sometimes you already have a bare minimum in those departments. Again I would go with seniority. The next place I would look at would be support staff. The aids in the classrooms are extremely important for elementary and secondary, but the cuts would need to be made there before cutting a teachers position. I would probably cut secondary before elementary though. Lastly I would look at reducing teachers by seniority. I would look at subjects where we could increase classroom size and not make a major impact on the students.
ReplyDeleteMy first step would be to familiarize myself with the county policy on this issue. I would also review the seniority list if one exists. I would look at not filling retirees or people who may resign. Of course, as everyone else has said, cutting custodial and cafeteria is the obvious place to begin. Look at aids next, then, move on to the exploratory classes and non-core classes. Cut an academic, core teacher as last resort.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend to cut the positions that have the least effect of the learning enviornment of the student. For example, at our school, we have 2 librarians who work full time and do very little. We are an extremely small school and the job could be handled by 1 part time position rather than 2 full time positions. That would be my 1st cut. After that, I guess I would have to dodge the bullet and cut coaching positions...I agree that sports are important to all students because all 3 of my kids play them, but as a school, we should put their acedemic education first and foremost.
ReplyDelete